Hugs – Campaign 2016

As I watch our presidential candidates eagerly campaigning for primary votes, I listen for their words of love as well as their words of wisdom, leadership and strength.

I look for signs of love for their fellow country men and women. I keep my eyes open to see which of them actually hugs people with a genuine smile and warmth that cannot be disguised. I realize that hugging is not something some people are comfortable with, but sometimes a hug is all you have to give in order to show someone that you are truly moved and concerned for their well-being. The candidates are hearing some heart wrenching stories while campaigning across this country. If a candidate is not capable of hugging the people who are out supporting him or her, especially after they share their heartfelt concerns and tragedies, then (IMHO) they are not capable of making major decisions that will affect the well-being of those people.

Fortunately, there are some huggers in the arena. Hillary ClintonandJohn Kasich are two I’ve seen so far. I have read that Jeb Bush hugged someone in Iowa, but I haven’t seen it myself, although I am guessing that he is a hugger. I’m still watching all of them just out of curiosity, but am satisfied that my candidate of choice has fulfilled the FINAL criteria of my litmus test – the genuine heart-felt hug.

Notice I said the FINAL criteria, so please do not bother to attempt to insult me on this issue as you will only insult yourself for not reading this post properly. The hug is not the first, nor the only criteria I have used during this primary, it is simply one among many. It is also one I have never used before. However, it is impossible to cover all of my presidential criteria in this one post. Besides, we do not have to agree on politics in order to be friends, or to at least be civil to one another. After all, we all want what is best for our country, some of us simply see different paths to achieving that greatness.

FYI – Honesty is also paramount among my list of credentials. Note that the witch hunt against Hillary for the past twenty years has yet to bring about even one indictment. It’s Republican propaganda, a smear campaign, and many people have fallen for it. Wake up – they take issue with having a female president under any circumstances. Unfortunately for them, she is the best qualified this year.

Living in South Carolina for the time being, I have noticed the media talking about the fact that parents and their adult children are supporting different candidates and then they wonder how one family member will sway another and who will win.

That’s ridiculous.

One of my daughters is supporting a different candidate while one of them hasn’t clued me in on whom she is voting for – and do you know what that tells me? It tells me I did a good job raising two independent women who can think for themselves. Of course, at least two of us are in the same party, but I support everyone’s independence. I just wish more people would actually “think” about it and get the facts first. If you’re just voting for whomever your parents are voting for, then you really should give it a bit more thought – unless you agree with everything your parents think, say and do – all the time. *wink*

Now back to the hugs…

I have seen Hillary Clinton hug many people many times, but this is the most recent and one of the most poignant, which is why I used it. This little girl’s dilemma brought tears to my eyes. Isn’t life hard enough without worrying about deportation? The hug is not shown in this pic, but they did hug. Visit the link to see the video – grab a tissue first.

It’s obvious in this hug that Kasich is having genuine feelings for this young man. Indeed, he has a sad story. Kasich is a good and sincere man.

I have not seen any hugs from Cruz, whose own daughter doesn’t seem to want to hug him, or from Rubio, and even if I did see one from Trump, I would question the genuineness of it, but that’s not for me to judge, just as it is not for the Pope to judge the faith of Trump.

The two moments above, the ones I have shared are truly genuine moments of empathy on the campaign trail.